How can I serve

In Kelantan, the weekend is on Friday and Saturday.
Last Thursday I was a bit tired after a week of hard work.
The next two days would be days of on call which usually means not too much of rest.

It was about 9.30 pm when a friend of my wife called her.
His little nephew of three months old had been vomiting and irritable for the past few hours.
My wife passed the phone to me since I am a paediatrician.
I thought of sending them to the emergency department of my hospital but then the request came whether they could bring the child to my house for me to see the child.
Quickly some excuses propped up in my mind but equally quickly as from heaven the phrase:
'how can I serve' was there right taking the front line in my thinking brain.
So I agreed for them to come over to the house. At 10.15 they arrived. As by magic, the child had stopped crying and was now alert and looked well. I did a physical examination and besides very mild signs of dehydration, I found the child to be OK. I reassured the parents and the uncle of the child and give them directions on how to make some oral rehydration solution.
The smiles I got from the adults but more so the smile from the child were priceless.
 I felt so good that I had not sent them to A&E.

These 4 small words (how can I serve) propped up in my mind on exactly the right time.
Somewhere deep inside I strongly believe that these words offer a key to true peace of mind and happiness. Before I went to the hospital for my weekend duty, I repeated the 4 words a few times in my mind and surely peace of mind and happiness were mine.

Next time we feel a bit tired and a friend or family member still asks us a favour, it may be a such a good idea to to let these four small words do their wonderful job:

How can I serve?